CGC Cards Hot List: Top 5 Japanese Pokémon Sets

2025 has been an exciting year for the Pokémon TCG, with many of the most popular sets so far releasing since January. With English Pokémon cards becoming harder to afford on the secondary market, Japanese Pokémon cards have become popular among collectors — and many of them have made their way to CGC to be authenticated, graded and encapsulated. Here are the top five sets that were sent to CGC during the month of December.

CGC Cards’ Hot List: Top 5 Japanese Pokémon TCG Sets

1. Terastal Festival ex – sv8a

Terastal Festival ex made waves when it first was released in Japan in December 2024, with boxes and packs selling out within mere hours of releasing online. The crown jewels of the set are the Eeveelutions, each beautifully depicted in stained glass-like artwork. According to GemRate, more than 15,000 cards from Terastal Festival ex were certified by CGC in November 2025 alone, and more than 170,000 have been graded since the set’s release. Many of these cards have been graded CGC Gem Mint 10 or CGC Pristine 10, according to the CGC Cards Population Report.

2. Mega Brave – M1L

Along with Mega Symphonia, Mega Brave is one of the newest sets in the Pokémon TCG and one half of the first set in the newest expansion block: Mega Evolution. This set introduced Mega Ultra Rare cards, special gold cards depicting Mega Evolved Pokémon in front-facing portraits as though they were carved into the very card itself. These cards are extremely rare — even more rare than SARs — and are usually the most valuable and sought-after cards in the sets that include them. CGC has certified thousands of cards from Mega Brave, according to GemRate, with many of them having been graded in November 2025.

3. Old Maid

In a surprising jump away from the traditional Pokémon TCG, 2019’s Pokémon Old Maid cards have been submitted to CGC in droves throughout 2025, resulting in the set making it to #3 on our Hot List. In November 2025 alone, more than 11,700 Old Maid cards were submitted to CGC according to GemRate. These fun cards feature Pokémon in the place of classic Old Maid characters, with Gengar acting as the “Old Maid.”

4. VSTAR Universe – s12a

VSTAR Universe — known as Crown Zenith in English — was the final Sword and Shield set, and it sent the TCG era off with a bang. The set was filled with illustration rare cards, many of which were included in the Trainer Gallery subset. Fan-favorites like Keldeo, Deoxys, Lucario and more all got their own Illustration Rare cards, with many still commanding a small premium on the secondary market — especially graded examples.

5. Mega Symphonia – M1S

The sister set to Mega Brave, Mega Symphonia features Gardevoir instead of Lucario. Gardevoir is also featured in a Mega Ultra Rare card, complete with a gorgeous gold finish that has collectors scrambling to get their hands on a copy. If gold cards aren’t your thing, the Pokémon in Mega Symphonia (and Mega Brave) also have secret illustration rare and regular illustration rare versions.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.